We now have the June 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report numbers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Below, we’ll explain how VA disability and pension claims changed during the past 30 days.
June 2020 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status
The June 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report lists all compensation and pension claims waiting on a VA determination decision. On June 6, the VA claims inventory held 391,862 total unrated applications. Claims numbers rose significantly this month, likely because the VBA stopped all in-person C&P exams at the beginning of April. Any unrated claims that require such an exam to complete is currently on hold. However, the VBA does now issue partial ratings for claims so veterans can receive some monthly benefit payments:
- As of June 6, 2020: 391,862
- As of May 2, 2020: 373,260
- Difference: +18,602
- Daily churn: +930 claims
According to the VBA’s second-quarter report, the VA reviewed 392,210 total claims within the last three months. It takes 94 days, on average, to process each veteran’s claim from start to finish. In March 2020 alone, the VBA completed more than 156,000 disability rating claims — a new record for the agency. Supplemental claims took 75 days to process, while higher-level reviews took about 62 days to complete, on average. Pension claims took about 97 days to process, while survivor’s benefits claims for dependents took 99 days to complete. As offices remain closed, the VA continues to install more telehealth devices and conduct virtual exams (i.e., video or phone). We’re not sure when vets that need in-person exams can get those scheduled, whether at VA facilities or private clinics. If you still have questions, you can call the VA Monday-Friday, 8am-9pm ET: 1-800-827-1000.
June 2020 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status
After 125 days, the VA automatically transfers any claims still waiting on a ratings decision into the backlog category. The June 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows a 56% increase in backlogged claims compared to last month:
- As of June 6, 2020: 125,535
- As of May 2, 2020: 80,155
- Difference: +45,380
- Daily churn: +2,269 claims added to the backlog
June’s report shows the largest one-month rise in backlogged VA claims we’ve ever seen. The June 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report’s backlog is more than 2x larger than the record-low numbers from November 2019. In fact, it’s been more than two years since the backlog held over 100,000 claims, which happened in February 2017. Which veterans make up most of this month’s backlog? Here’s how those claims break down, according to service era:
- 39% come from Vietnam War veterans
- 27% come from Gulf War veterans
- 18% come from vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11
- 12% come from peacetime vets who served between the end of Vietnam until the start of the Gulf War
- 2.5% come from Korean War veterans
- 1% come from World War II veterans
About 41% of backlogged claims this month are first-time benefits applicants. Among those, 67% are VA compensation claims with seven or fewer unrated service-connected disabilities. The June 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report’s massive backlog increase mostly involves vets who still need in-person C&P exams.
You May Qualify for Free Legal Assistance
A VA-accredited lawyer can review your claim for free and potentially make the government pay the cost of your appeal. You can also sign up for a free, no-obligation consultation today and get free legal advice over the phone. At least 4 in every 5 vets with lawyers prevailed against the VA in court within the last year.
All VA-accredited attorneys in our network provide contingency-based representation. That means if the VA doesn’t pay you a cash settlement, you owe the lawyer $0 in legal fees. And if you do win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee.
Ready to see if you may qualify? Click the button below to start your free benefits evaluation now!
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Lori Polemenakos is Director of Consumer Content and SEO strategist for LeadingResponse, a legal marketing company. An award-winning journalist, writer and editor based in Dallas, Texas, she's produced articles for major brands such as Match.com, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Xfinity, Mail.com, and edited several published books. Since 2016, she's published hundreds of articles about Social Security disability, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, personal injury, mass tort, auto accident claims, bankruptcy, employment law and other related legal issues.